Before starting your systematic review, it's a wise idea to search for systematic reviews that are related to your research question. Here's a tutorial on how to find systematic reviews in PubMed. There are several reasons to do this:
Treadwell librarians can search for systematic reviews that may be related to your topic. Just Ask Us!
There are four steps to creating systematic review search strategies:
The search strategy should be proofread or peer reviewed carefully. We recommend using the 2015 PRESS guidelines to evaluate your search.
If this sounds complicated, never fear! Treadwell librarians can help you with this process and even design systematic search strategies for you. Ask Us to get started.
Core databases to include in systematic review searches include the following:
Subject specific databases may be indicated, depending on the research topic. Examples include:
Finally, once you identify the set of articles you want to include in your systematic review, you can use a database like Web of Science to identify studies that have cited your articles of interest.
Treadwell librarians can help you:
All of these databases, with the exceptions of Embase and Web of Science, can be access via the Resources box on the Treadwell homepage. Embase and Web of Science are available via Harvard. If you are not eligible for Harvard access, a Treadwell librarian can search these resources for you.
Learn more about:
We recommend avoiding using filters or limits in databases to restrict your systematic review search to certain study methodologies.
Countway Library describes the issues with incorporating methodology filters into your search and provides a list of appropriate filters to use on their page, "Why use a filter for the study methodology? Why not?"
If you do choose to use a search filter in your search, the ISSG Search Filters Resource is another good source of validated filters.